Game No. 82, the final game on what has been yet another disappointing season for the Philadelphia Flyers. In the past several weeks, however, there have at least been signs that changes are coming.
The general manager was fired and the chairman and governor of the team is set to retire. There figure to be more changes to come in a critical offseason for the Flyers to commit to their new direction.
The stakes are certainly high in this game for the Flyers opponent. The Chicago Blackhawks are tied with Anaheim for the second-lowest point total in the NHL. They are guaranteed to have top-four odds in the lottery, top-three with a loss, and potentially could still have the best odds at the first overall pick by week’s end.
Game time is 8:30 p.m.
Particularly in the last game for the Flyers, a few milestones were met. Morgan Frost can pick up his first 20-goal season with one more goal in the season finale.
Andreas Athanasiou has been red hot of late. Athanasiou has scored five of his 19 goals this season in the last seven games. He has points in six of the last seven games, totalling eight points in that time.
Carter Hart is expected to start for the Flyers. Hart made 28 saves on 31 shots in his last start against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. That snapped a two-game losing streak for Hart following his return from injury after winning four straight games prior to the injury.
Alex Stalock is expected to start for the Blackhawks. Stalock made 18 saves on 21 shots in a loss to Minnesota on Monday in his last start. He has lost seven straight starts dating back to March 16, when he allowed one goal on 36 shots in a win over Nashville.
Flyers Scratches: Tony DeAngelo (healthy), Kieffer Bellows (healthy)
Blackhawks Scratches: Colin Blackwell (injury), Philipp Kurashev (injury), Taylor Raddysh (injury), Cole Guttman (injury), Jarred Tinordi (healthy), Ian Mitchell (healthy)
